In the case of the Holt interview, Trump never actually directly said that he fired Comey because of the Russian Federation investigation; instead, he merely said that Russian Federation was on his mind when he did it.

The president was on an extended working holiday at his New Jersey golf club last week.

Security clearances, their issuance, revocations, and standards regarding same, are exclusively Executive functions, allowing President Trump to act unilaterally on them. What lost him his clearance is the same thing that earned Omarosa her White House job, nothing more or less than their respective willingness or unwillingness to flatter the president at length.

The ex-officials say "the president's action regarding John Brennan and the threats of similar action against other former officials has nothing to do with who should and should not hold security clearances - and everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech".

Mr Trump's statement said the Brennan issue raises larger questions about the practice of allowing former officials to maintain their security clearances, and said that others officials' status was under review.

Yankees-Red Sox Series Heats up AL East RaceThe New York Yankees won the series, winning 8-1, losing 11-0, and winning 11-1 to make up some ground on their rivals. Despite sitting on top for much of the season, the Boston Red Sox are expected to lose steam as the season progresses.

Libertarian-minded Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who first proposed pulling Brennan's clearance, cheered Trump's decision on Wednesday, and took the opportunity to remind voters that he opposed Brennan's stewardship of the Central Intelligence Agency from the get-go.

"Did the Trump people ever take anything of value from the Russians?" He is the only current government employee on the list.

That was followed late Thursday by a joint letter from 12 former senior intelligence officials calling Trump's action "ill-considered and unprecedented".

"I call it the rigged witch hunt, [it] is a sham". The White House has been buffeted for days by claims from a disaffected former adviser to the president.

What did Trump's statement say exactly?

"I don't think it advances the criminal obstruction case, but I think it's factually relevant", said Mark Zaid, a national security attorney.

YouTubeSarah Huckabee Sanders made the announcement during the White House press briefing on Wednesday.

As part of this review, I am evaluating action with respect to the following individuals: "James Clapper, James Comey, Michael Hayden, Sally Yates, Susan Rice, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page and Bruce Ohr", he said.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, said Trump's move was a "stunning abuse of power".

From left, FBI Director James Comey, Director of the National Intelligence James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, participate in the Senate Intelligence Committee's hearing on worldwide threats, February 9, 2016, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Democrats called it an "enemies list", a reference to the Nixon White House, which kept a list of former president Richard Nixon's political opponents to be targeted with punitive measures.